IRRI has been working in Malawi since 2012 in partnership with Renew'N'Able Malawi (RENAMA). We won a grant from Scottish Government in 2012 to develop, build and manage two kiosks which were powered by solar panels, in remote, rural communities in Malawi. Our core focus was to enable the two communities to build and create capacity within their own villages so that the kiosks could not only generate renewable energy but create jobs and economic development opportunities at the same time.
We have continued to work closely with RENAMA since then to develop a range of other projects including biogas, hydro and other solar projects, always seeking to build on the strengths which the communities have in abundance.
A group of us have decided to run the Edinburgh 10k run in May 2016 to try and raise funding to help build the capacity of these communities, providing them a safer, cleaner and more affordable future.
Your help and assistance is greatly appreciated by all of us within IRRI.